The joy of being fit

By Carin Lane

Updated 4:45 pm, Friday, May 18, 2012

What began 4 years ago as a short health and wellness segment, called "The Joy Fit Club," on the "Today'' show has resulted in thousands of pounds lost and numerous lives saved. Perhaps, nutrition and health expert and author Joy Bauer, knew all along. After all, she had already created one of the largest nutrition centers in the country — Joy Bauer Nutrition. Bauer's club became a huge outlet for her to help more Americans, from all walks of life, lose weight without diet pills, fasting, special foods or surgery. Members are those looking to gain control of their lives forever, quite literally, as revealed in her latest book "The Joy Fit Club: Cookbook, Diet Plan and Inspiration," when one women was brought back from a suicide attempt to eventually walk off an astounding 415 pounds. Bauer has written several best-selling titles, but I believe this one to be the total package. It features her "Joy rules to success" — like exercising daily, finding a support group and kicking your soda habit — 75 recipes that you will really want to eat, detailed daily meal plans and 30 motivational before-and-after photographs of real people that have dropped hundreds of pounds. Bauer offers this advice to anyone looking to get fit and healthy, "Most of the members in this book had tried and failed at diets many, many times before their efforts stuck. They are living proof that it's possible to succeed. This could be your time. So start fresh and make a commitment to yourself!"

Q: Joy Fit Club started on "Today,'' but where did the idea for the club come from?

A: Every other week, we induct a new member into the club — someone who has lost at least 100 pounds with diet and exercise alone. We decided on the number "100" because it was such a huge, dramatic milestone — if these individuals can accomplish such a significant transformation, it's possible for anyone to follow in their footsteps, whether they have 10 pounds to lose or hundreds.

Q: You have a list of successful health books. Your latest title, "Joy Fit Club: Cookbook, Diet Plan & Inspiration" seems to be the complete package. What are your hopes for this book and who was it written for?

A: Yes, it is the complete package. The Joy Fit Club is a unique weight loss resource because it provides 3 strategic components. First, it offers a full diet plan with menus perfectly formulated with the right amount of high-quality carbs, filling protein, and heart-healthy fats to provide fast, effective, lasting results. Second, you get 75-plus slimming recipes that are simple to make and delicious to eat. Finally, the book incorporates strategies and advice from 30 real life weight loss superstars who each lost over 100 pounds using diet and exercise alone. The stories in this book are powerful reminders that it is possible to lose the weight and keep it off — their "real-life" success stories prove it! My hope is to inspire people who feel depressed and hopeless about their weight and health problems — and show them that it IS possible to transform their life. Any one of the members in the book will tell you, "If I can do this, you can too."

Q: How would someone trying to lose 100s of pounds or just a few pounds get started with your book?

A: No matter how much weight you have to lose, this plan will work for you. Just dive right in and start following the meal plans. The meals are delicious and easy to prepare — I know people won't stick with a food plan if it doesn't taste great, or requires slaving away in the kitchen for hours. That's just not realistic.

Q: Why do you think your plan is so successful compared to some of the more hyped diets like Atkins, South Beach, Mediterranean, Dukan or most recently the DASH diet?

A: This plan is realistic, effective, and based on the latest science. No gimmicks or radical, extreme changes. No fasting or special foods to buy or supplements. I don't eliminate any food groups. It's real, everyday food that you can buy right at your regular grocery store.

In order to lose the weight and keep it off, you have to make permanent changes to your lifestyle and eating habits – and that's exactly what all of the Joy Fit Club members that are featured in the book did. With that in mind, I went out of my way to make sure diet plan and strategies in this book are smart, realistic, and effective. It's not a quick fix, restrictive plan that's impossible to stick with for the long-term...leaves you feeling cranky and deprived...and ultimately backfires, so the weight comes yo-yoing back on.

Q: As your title suggests, the Joy Fit Club, how does fitness work into the dietary changes suggested in your book? What types of exercise do you recommend as well as time and frequency?

A: Exercise helps you burn calories, boosts your mood and confidence, and puts you in a positive mindset so you're motivated to stick with your plan. It's a total feel-good. And it doesn't have to be fancy, expensive or intense — in fact, walking is my preferred form of exercise. It's free, you can do it almost anywhere, it doesn't require any special equipment, and it's easy on the joints — it's really the perfect form of exercise. I advise walking for 30 minutes, every day of the week (aim for 7 days and you'll end up hitting at least 5).

Q: One of the first sentences in your book starts of with "Nearly 25,000 pounds lost..." That is an amazing statistic. How does that make you feel as a health care professional, an author, a TV personality and more importantly as a wife and mother of three kids? Did you ever imagine the type of success your guidance would have?

A: It is an incredible number — it still blows me away every time I hear it. I worked with some of the Joy Fit Club members personally, and some of them lost their weigh on their own (the Club was created to celebrate their tremendous accomplishments!) — but I have a strong personal connection and relationship with every single member. I can't even begin to tell you how many people have told me that watching these success stories on the "Today'' show and, now, reading their features in the book, has given them the hope and inspiration they need to start their own weight loss journey. It's an incredible feeling to know "we'' – all of the other people who have made this possible, including the 150 Joy Fit Club members themselves, who have the courage to share their story on national television — are changing lives every single day.

Q: There are some basic rules being in the Joy Fit Club. Can you briefly explain your "Joy Rules" and while they all make your diet successful, are there ones that can easily reap the most reward?

A: I've identified the top 10 strategies that are most effective for successfully losing the weight and keeping it off — both for the Joy Fit Club members who have lost over 100 pounds and kept it off long-term AND from my thousands of personal clients that I've helped to slim down. I lay out these strategies or "weight loss rules" in the book.

All 10 are important for lasting results, but I think there are two critical commonalities that weave through all of these success stories:

Find your meaningful reason for losing weight. It may seem like an obvious first step, but I have found that the people who are most successful at losing weight are those that have a strong, clear purpose for wanting to make a change. Do some serious soul-searching and identify a significant and lasting source of personal motivation for finally shedding the extra weight.

Forgive your slip-ups. Nobody eats perfectly all the time, and it's fine—totally normal, in fact—to occasionally stray from your plan. The trick is to shake off your mistakes and get right back on track at the next meal or the very next day. Don't let one binge or "off day" spiral out of control into a full week, or month, of splurging. It may not come easy at first, but mastering this one key strategy can help you finally break the cycle of yo-yo dieting.

Q: Some of your Joy Rules like avoiding soda, eliminating trigger foods and forgiving slip-ups are easier said than done.

A: Some of these will be more challenging than others for people when they first start the plan. Eliminating soda can be difficult if you love your pop, but for many members of the Joy Fit Club, cutting out sugary drinks was the very first step they took (before they even tackled the food piece) — and they lost a significant chunk of weight from making just this one change.

When it comes to eliminating trigger foods, if you identify them and keep them out of the house entirely, you've already won at least 90 percent the battle. It's so much easier to practice your willpower at the grocery store instead of at home, when the foods are sitting in your kitchen and you're dealing with non-stop temptation.

Q: I truly enjoyed reading the 30 inspirational stories of some truly brave and courageous men and women of all ages who really have turned their lives around. A few standouts for me, were Rochelle Culp, who lost 104 pounds and turned into a rocking bodybuilder. Possibly even more amazing, is Tammy Burns who at 5'41/2" weighed 575 pounds and lost 410 pounds. What have these stories taught you and has there been an inspiration that taught you something, was unforgettable or changed you in some way?

A: It has really humbled me and changed how I approach challenges in my own life – whether it's related to work or family or relationships. If there's a problem, you are your own solution. Believe in yourself. We are powerful, we really are, but sometimes we forget that. You can overcome challenges and obstacles that crop up in life if you're determined, passionate, and patient. The motivational power of this book extends well beyond weight issues.

Q: The book is filled with a ton of tasty recipes. What are some of your favorites and how can we use the recipes to create a weekly menu?

A: It's hard to pick favorites! My family loves the Creamy Garlic Pasta with Chicken and the Sloppy Pizza Joes. And the simple Protein Pancake is one of my breakfast staples (sooo easy). The recipes have been incorporated into the meal plan, so you can simply follow the detailed menus in the book – or you can use the calorie guidelines provided in the book to create your own menu plan.

Q: You have set up a roughly 1,400 calorie daily diet plan. Breakfast is at 400 calories, lunch at 400 and dinner at 500 calories with 2 snacks around 150-200 calories. What would you suggest be most bang for your calories when creating a meal plan and how do you feel about "dessert" as opposed to light snacks?

A: **Note that there is just one snack per day.

You could definitely enjoy a dessert once or twice a week in place of your snack. And there are some great yummy, slim-style dessert recipes in the book for times when you're craving something sweet but don't want to derail your diet. Cupcakes, chocolate mousse, chocolate-peanut butter bread pudding!

Q: What would you say would be an overall message or game plan for joining your Joy Fit Club and that person picking up this book with high hopes of success like any one of the inspirational stories you've shared.